The Enchanted Fox
by SkyCastle10
Summary: Prince Armon wants a bride, but what must he do to find one? A tale of a fairy, a wicked queen, and a fox that is not what it appears to be.


This is a random story I wrote when I was 11. I'm putting it on here just for kicks, please be nice, I was only 11!

The Enchanted Fox

Once upon a time in Spain, there lived a prince. His name was Armon. His father had died while he was still a small child. His mother ruled the kingdom while he was young. His mother, Queen Cada, was not a very good person. She was always trying to do bad things, but she did love her son.

When the prince was 20, he set out to seek his bride. He traveled far and wide but could not find a princess he loved. As he was traveling home a fish spoke to him from the stream he was resting by. The fish said, "Hear O prince, I have heard of your quest and am going to give you help. In a forest close by there is a fox who is really a princess." Armon replied, "Fish, do you know where the fox's den is?" The fish answered, "I don't know, but if you follow this stream you will come to a quiet pool. Wait until the moon rises and you will behold the fox drinking from the pool." The prince asked, "what must I do to set this princess free?" The fish replied, "I do not know. There is a fairy who knows however. But she only appears to some."

The prince started following the stream to find the fox. It was already dusk when he came to the quiet pool. He ate some bread and cheese with his wine. Then he felt drowsy so he went to sleep. He woke up an hour before the moon rose. Then suddenly the fairy Pira Mador appeared beside him. Armon was startled but asked, "Are you the fairy who can tell me how to break the spell that is on the princess?" The fairy replied, "Yes I am. To break the spell you must first capture the fox. Then she must drink 3 times from the fairy water. Next you must take her to the old crumbling fence. There you must stay for 3 days. At midnight on the 3rd day I will appear. The fox must lick my hand. If she does not she will remain a fox the rest of her life." Armon questioned, "What is her name?" The fairy answered, "Her name is Princess Elaine." The prince asked, "Do you have anything that will help me in my quest?" The fairy responded, "Yes, I do. Here is the cap of invisibility, the cloak of wishing, and a sword called Gram. This sword will slice through anything." Then the fairy vanished.

While he waited for the moon to rise Armon thought about the instructions. Soon after, the fox appeared just as the fish had said. The prince rose, left his horse, and set out to follow the fox.

The fox led him through dense woods into a meadow then into the woods again. At last they came to her den. She was about to enter when the prince grabbed her. Armon, out of breath, gasped, "Are you Princess Elaine?" "Of course I am, now let me go!" the fox retorted. The prince shot back, "I'm not letting you go! I'm going to try to turn you back into a princess again." This went on for a little while, but eventually they both calmed down. The fox said, "Would you like me to tell you how I became a fox?" "Would you?" asked the prince. So the fox began. "Well, your mother was visiting my father. I was out walking and thought I saw an interesting piece of bark. I bent down to pick it up, but realized too late it had magical powers; I had turned into a fox. I inspected the odd material, and realized it was a lock of your mother's hair." "What!" exclaimed the prince. "That cannot be, but let us proceed to turn you back into a princess." They hurried back to Armon's horse and set off.

Not far from the forest lived a giant and they had to pass through his land in order to reach the fairy water. When the giant saw them approaching he let out a bellow of rage. The prince pulled his sword Gram from its sheath and charged the giant. As he raced through the giant's feet he chopped a foot off. The giant howled with rage and pain. The prince and the fox were already racing away. Soon they came to a wide river. The fox cried, "How will we get across?" But the prince had already pulled on his cloak and wished them right across the river. While they were trotting away from the river the fox asked, "How did you do that?" He showed her the wishing cloak and then they rode in silence for awhile. Finally, they stopped for the night.

The next morning the fox asked, "By the way, what is your name?" The prince replied, "I am Prince Armon." But before the fox could answer there came a sound of hssss…twang. Several arrows came flying dangerously near. The prince pulled on the cap of invisibility and they passed safely through. At last they came to the courtyard where the fairy water was located. Two huge lions guarded the entrance. Armon pulled on his wishing cloak and wished them right into the courtyard. He dismounted while the fox leaped off the horse. Armon said, "Princess Elaine, you must drink 3 times from the water." The fox did so.

Meanwhile, Queen Cada at her palace was looking in her magical mirror at the prince and the fox. She realized that the fox must be a princess. The queen did not want her son to marry any princess except the one she had chosen for him. So naturally she wanted to get rid of the fox. She went to the secret chamber where she kept her magic potions. There she made a poisonous arrow to hunt the fox with. The queen went outside, called her winged horse, and set off to hunt the fox.

By now the prince and the fox were already off to the old crumbling fence and were riding along comfortably. Suddenly, Queen Cada swooped down on her horse. The prince was startled but kicked his horse into a gallop. The fox quickly disappeared into the saddlebag and the prince hastily pulled on his cap of invisibility. But the queen was not to be deceived and she did her best to follow them.

At last, Armon came to the old crumbling fence. There he set up his tent, which was invisible, and stayed there with the fox for 3 days. At midnight the 3rd day the fairy Pira Mador appeared. The fox ran up to the fairy and licked her hand. She was instantly transformed into a beautiful princess. But the evil queen came close. Her bow twanged and the poisonous arrow sped toward the princess. But before it reached her it vanished. The fairy stooped down and touched the ground. There was a clap of thunder and a crevice opened up in the earth's surface underneath the queen. She gave a scream as she fell into the crevice. Prince Armon and Princess Elaine were very startled but the fairy explained, "I made the arrow vanish, and Prince Armon, don't worry about your mother. Queen Cada will come back when she realizes that she is more fortunate than others." Then she vanished.

The prince and princess went back to their kingdoms, married, and when the princess's father died they ruled both kingdoms and lived happily ever after.

THE END


End file.
